The is a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

located in northwest

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...

, projecting northwest from an imaginary line drawn between Imari in

Saga Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of roughly 780,000 and has a geographic area of . Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasaki Prefect ...

and

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The peninsula is bounded by the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

on the west, southwest and the north. Most of the peninsula is within the boundaries of the city of

Hirado is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 28,172, and a population density of 120 people per km2. The total area of the city is Geography Hirado City occupies the northern part of Nagasaki P ...

and Nagasaki Prefecture. The general area of and near the peninsula is commonly called the .

Geography

Kitamatsuura Peninsula has many bays, inlets, and other coastal features along its shores. Imari Bay is located on the north, the Hirado Strait is located to the west between

Hirado Island (also previously named Hiranoshima and Firando Island) is the 4th largest island in Nagasaki Prefecture, located in the Sea of Japan. The entire island and the part of the nearby Kyushu mainland is administered as part of Hirado city. The islan ...

and the peninsula, and Sasebo Bay is found on the southwest. The peninsula is mainly

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

which forms a gently-sloping tableland and

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

, though it features many small hills and uneven terrain as well. The borders of the tableland are very steep. There is abundant evidence of ancient landslide activity throughout the peninsula. Much of the land is covered in rice fields, irrigated largely by abundant

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

s. Within the

stratum In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ...

laid down during the

Tertiary period The Tertiary ( ) is an obsolete Period (geology), geologic period spanning 66 million to 2.6 or 1.8 million years ago. The period began with the extinction of the non-bird, avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at t ...

, abundant

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

deposits are found. These resources were developed following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, creating rapid economic growth in the Hokushō Region. However,

alternative energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

activism has led to the closure of many of the mines in the area. The coastline of Kitamatsuura Peninsula is constantly changing due to erosion from the wind, rain, and ocean waves. The western area of the peninsula is a very wide and flat

drowned river valley A ria (; , feminine noun derived from ''río'', river) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendritic ...

filled with many small islands including the Kujūku Islands. Much of the area is part of Saikai National Park. The coastal area between Tabira and Matsuura is designated the . and are located on the north side of the peninsula. Due to the rugged coastline, the

fishing industry The fishing industry includes any industry or activity that takes, cultures, processes, preserves, stores, transports, markets or sells fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including recreational, sub ...

is very active on Kitamatsuura Peninsula. Tsukinokawa Port in Matsuura hosts a

fish market A fish market is a marketplace for selling Fish as food, fish and fish products. It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between Fisherman, fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both. Retail fish ma ...

and handles the largest volume in Japan of Japanese jack mackerel and related fish.

Municipalities

The area of the Kitamatsuura Peninsula includes part or all of several

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

, including Imari in Saga Prefecture, as well as

(formerly Shikamachi and Kosaza), Hirado (formerly Tabira), Matsuura, and Saza in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Transportation

The main rail transportation on the Kitamatsuura Peninsula is handled by the

Nishi-Kyūshū Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway operator Matsuura Railway, which connects Arita in Saga Prefecture with Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture. This is the westernmost railway line in Japan, with Tabira-Hiradoguchi Stati ...

, a rail line operated by

Matsuura Railway is a third-sector railway company in Nagasaki Prefecture, Nagasaki and Saga Prefecture in Japan. Lines The railway company operates the 93.8 km Nishi-Kyushu Line from in Saga Prefecture to in Nagasaki Prefecture, with 57 stations. Princ ...

. National Route 204, which carries traffic between Karatsu in Saga Prefecture and Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture, and National Route 498, carrying traffic between Kashima in Saga Prefecture and Imari. The , part of National Route 383, operates a bridge connecting the peninsula to Hirado Island.

References

{{coord missing, Japan Peninsulas of Japan Landforms of Nagasaki Prefecture Tourist attractions in Saga Prefecture Tourist attractions in Nagasaki Prefecture